“We really stressed to our cruisers the strides and breakthroughs that have been made through the efforts of the T.J. Martell Foundation, and we were absolutely blown away by the generosity on these two events,” said Mike Jason, Senior Vice President, StarVista LIVE. “I am looking forward to a long and prosperous relationship between our two entities.”
Two guitars autographed by all of the artists on each cruise were sold in live auctions on both cruises and brought in an astounding $61,000. Eight framed lyric sheets and autographed photos by Country Music Cruise performers Patty Loveless, The Oak Ridge Boys, Joe Diffie and others brought in an additional $13,000. Shenandoah’s Marty Raybon and Mike McGuire were joined by Jimmy Fortune for an acoustic performance at an exclusive brunch benefitting T.J. Martell Foundation on The Country Music Cruise’s stop at Holland America’s beautiful private island of Half Moon Cay.
“We are very grateful for the generous support of the StarVista LIVE team and the winning bidders in the Southern Rock Cruise and Country Music Cruise auctions. The funds raised will benefit our cutting-edge cancer research programs at flagship hospitals across the country,” said Laura Heatherly, CEO of the T.J. Martell Foundation. “The auctions were a great way for fans to bid on special music memorabilia signed by the artists and make a charitable contribution at the same time.”
In addition to onboard fundraising efforts and sharing the incredible story of the Foundation with StarVista LIVE cruise guests, the company has committed to make a donation to the Foundation for every cabin booked on any of the seven cruises using the exclusive code TJMARTELL.